Commercial caches

[+Monkey_Chops]

I'm still pretty new to this and am starting to think about places to hide caches. I only have 8 finds to my name, but please don't worry, I'm not going to be hiding anything for a while yet. After reading on these forums, it seems sensible to me to wait until I've found a good range of caches in different areas etc etc. What I am doing though is constantly looking around everywhere and thinking "That would be a great place to hide something", as I am sure everybody else does. (I may be new to this hobby, but I can already see how much fun it is and have enjoyed it a lot so far!)

 

The reason for this post is that I was thinking about a friend of mine. He owns an ice cream hut on a beach and I initially thought it would be great to give him a decent sized tupperware box as a cache that could hold decent sized objects, like books and so on and I could guarantee that it wouldn't be affected by the weather, muggles or anything else. All the geocacher would have to do would be to ask him for it and he'd give it to them. Of course, I then looked at the guidelines and found that it said

 

"Commercial caches will not be published on geocaching.com without prior approval from Groundspeak..........The geocache is presumed to be commercial if the finder is required to go inside a business, interact with employees, and/or purchase a product or service, or if the cache listing has overtones of advertising, marketing, or promotion."

 

What does it mean by 'without prior approval'?

 

Obviously if it is considered unacceptable as a cache, I won't do it. Although I assume that I can put a cache on his ice cream hut (like a nano or some other hidden container) provided I have his approval to do so. I just thought it would be a good and simple way of hiding a cache of a decent size in an urban setting.

Edited December 1, 2010 by DomAndKitty

[+Ecylram]

I'm still pretty new to this and am starting to think about places to hide caches. I only have 8 finds to my name, but please don't worry, I'm not going to be hiding anything for a while yet. After reading on these forums, it seems sensible to me to wait until I've found a good range of caches in different areas etc etc. What I am doing though is constantly looking around everywhere and thinking "That would be a great place to hide something", as I am sure everybody else does. (I may be new to this hobby, but I can already see how much fun it is and have enjoyed it a lot so far!)

 

The reason for this post is that I was thinking about a friend of mine. He owns an ice cream hut on a beach and I initially thought it would be great to give him a decent sized tupperware box as a cache that could hold decent sized objects, like books and so on and I could guarantee that it wouldn't be affected by the weather, muggles or anything else. All the geocacher would have to do would be to ask him for it and he'd give it to them. Of course, I then looked at the guidelines and found that it said

 

"Commercial caches will not be published on geocaching.com without prior approval from Groundspeak..........The geocache is presumed to be commercial if the finder is required to go inside a business, interact with employees, and/or purchase a product or service, or if the cache listing has overtones of advertising, marketing, or promotion."

 

What does it mean by 'without prior approval'?

 

Obviously if it is considered unacceptable as a cache, I won't do it. Although I assume that I can put a cache on his ice cream hut (like a nano or some other hidden container) provided I have his approval to do so. I just thought it would be a good and simple way of hiding a cache of a decent size in an urban setting.

Your best bet is to do the later, put a container on or near the hut. You'll need to be fairly oblique about the location in your title and log (no names or salesmanship).

 

A warning though...many cachers won't like (strongly dislike) looking for a cache on an occupied hut. A better bet is a location a respectable distance from the people working in/visiting the hut.

[+kunarion]

What does it mean by 'without prior approval'?

I thought that would be a special contract deal in writing (like a promotion in cooperation with Groundspeak).

 

I agree with Ecylram. It’s good to have the container separate from the hut if possible. You don’t know how late someone may try to find the cache, and poking around the hut when it’s closed may be an even bigger problem than trying to be inconspicuous with lots of customers. It’s very rare to have a cache inside a business anymore.

 

This is a pretty tall order for a first cache, but if you can work with the reviewer to get it set up in a fun way, more power to you. Just some thoughts: if there’s an old chest freezer, maybe that could be a hiding spot. Or make a “mailbox” or a “Geocache Logging Station”, or just a tupperware box that sits quietly nearby. If cachers can feel comfortable seeking it, without others being bothered by their presence, it could work.

Edited December 1, 2010 by kunarion

[Motorcycle_Mama]

Also, "prior approval from Groundspeak" means that the staff (lackeys) at Groundspeak (not the reviewer and not the business owner) will have to give written approval for the cache to be located at a commercial location.

[+Monkey_Chops]

That all sounds fair enough and I do understand the reasons and reasoning behind it all, but it seems like a shame. Not to worry, I'll come up with other locations...

[+EyeD10T]

There is one here in New England that is similar to what you are thinking. You might try to contact the CO to see if they can give you some pointers.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...02-397d4a979ad2

[+Monkey_Chops]

There is one here in New England that is similar to what you are thinking. You might try to contact the CO to see if they can give you some pointers.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...02-397d4a979ad2

 

Thank you for that. I have contacted him and hopefully he can help. It looks like an interesting cache!

[+EyeD10T]

There is one here in New England that is similar to what you are thinking. You might try to contact the CO to see if they can give you some pointers.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...02-397d4a979ad2

 

Thank you for that. I have contacted him and hopefully he can help. It looks like an interesting cache!

 

It was a fun one....if anyone is in the area, I recommend that they try it out.

[+Prime Suspect]

There is one here in New England that is similar to what you are thinking. You might try to contact the CO to see if they can give you some pointers.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...02-397d4a979ad2

That was 4 years ago. I doubt that would get published under the current Guidelines.

[+KristenSh]

I know nothing about how to get it approved, but I would caution against things like a 'chest freezer' ... make sure it's not big enough for a child! Refrigerator safety and all that ... once those suckers close, they do NOT open from the inside ... so make sure to make any truly large cache very very safe.

 

Just a Public Service Announcement from a paranoid mama.

[+Monkey_Chops]

I have no intention to put a cache in a chest freezer for so many reasons, so don't worry about that!

 

I'm just bummed I can't use my original idea as it would have been cool.

[+upearly13]

We just visited a cool one today in one of our local bakeries: GCW918 SomewhereInTheWWW-It's 64,000 for you

 

Cool puzzle cache, ammo box stored inconspicuously but in plain sight.